Charleston, S.C. – The Citadel Football team will travel to Elon, N.C. to take on the Elon Phoenix for their first Southern Conference road matchup of the 2011 season on Saturday, Sept. 24. Kickoff is set for 1:30 p.m. at Rhodes Stadium.
The Matchup: The Citadel and Elon will meet for the 11th time in the programs' history on Saturday. The series between the Bulldogs and the Phoenix dates back to 1954 when the teams competed against each other for two consecutive seasons. The series did not resume until 2003 when Elon joined the SoCon. The Bulldogs lead the series, 6-4; however, the Phoenix have claimed the last three matchups. The two teams have met at Rhodes Stadium on three occasions of which The Citadel has only won one, a 44-7 victory on Nov. 18, 2006.
Last Week: The Citadel (1-1 overall; 0-1 SoCon), who was on a bye last week, earned their first win of the season against Jacksonville of the Pioneer Football League, 31-9, on Sept. 3, followed by a 16-6 loss in their SoCon-opener against Furman on Sept. 10. In the two matchups, the Bulldogs produced the most rushing yards of any Bulldogs offense since 1994 with 439 against Jacksonville, and recorded their first 100-yard passing game against Furman since Oct. 2, 2010 against WCU.
Elon (2-1 overall; 0-0 SoCon), led by first-year head coach Jason Swepson, is coming off a close 23-22 win at North Carolina Central in Durham, N.C., on Sept. 17. The Phoenix racked up 525 yards of total offense and overcame five turnovers on its way to the victory over the Eagles. Quarterback Thomas Wilson and wide receiver Aaron Mellette were instrumental in the Phoenix win as Wilson completed 34 of his 48 pass attempts for three touchdowns and a career-high 416 yards. The 416 passing yards ties for 19th in SoCon history. Mellette snared 16 passes for a career-best 237 yards and one score.
Watch and Listen: Bulldog fans can listen to Saturday's live action on ESPN 910 with new "Voice of the Bulldogs" Danny Reed and color analyst Walt Nadzak or enjoy a free live audio stream of the event on Bulldog Insider found on the official website of The Citadel Athletics, www.Citadelsports.com.
Other Notes: The Citadel Football coaches will be wearing a Coach to Cure MD logo patch on the sidelines in recognition of the annual effort that has raised nearly a million dollars to battle Duchenne muscular dystrophy. College coaches nationwide are expected to join together in support of the program during games held on Sept. 24, 2011. Football fans are asked to donate to Duchenne muscular dystrophy research by either going online to www.CoachtoCureMD.org or by texting the word CURE to 90999 (a $5 donation will automatically be added to your next phone bill).
More Info: For rosters, depth charts and game notes for both The Citadel Bulldogs and Elon Phoenix, go to www.CitadelSports.com, click on Football and then Game Day Central on the right under Team Information. For more information on tickets, call the ticket office at (843) 953-DOGS (3647). For more information on Bulldog Football, follow the Dogs on Facebook and Twitter at facebook.com/citadelsports and twitter.com/citadelfootball.
